5 Blogs Before Lunch

Coca-Cola Introduces a Fizzy Milk Drink Called Vio

While Nestle is busy suing Muscle Milk over claims that they deceptively don't include milk as an ingredient, despite its name, Coca-Cola is slinking into the milk business with a sparkling milk-based beverage called Vio.

Vio is a citrus flavored drink and is reportedly made with sparkling water, a "hint" of skim milk, cane sugar and fruit flavors.

The drink is currently being test marketed in New York City with 200 retailers.

Fizzy milk drinks may be new to the States, but Coke had sold a similar product, Qoo, in Asia from 1999 to 2005. And who can forget Laverne De Fazio's favorite drink on Laverne & Shirley: Pepsi Milk.

A New Twist For Vatican Radio: The Holy See, Brought To You By...

 After nearly 80 years as a commercial-free broadcaster, Vatican Radio, run by the Holy See in Rome, is starting to run ads.

Italian power company Enel is the inaugural sponsor, with 45-second ads running about four or five times a day.

The radio service broadcasts around the world and on the Web in more than 40 languages.

Cost for Vatican Radio? A reported $31 million a year.

Revenue, until now, a big zero.

You do the math.

From The Los Angeles Times:

"It's like having an 80-year-old child living at home all this time, and you say, 'Darling, we still love you, you can go on living here, we're not going to kick you out, but it would be nice if you would contribute to paying the phone bill, the gas bill or something,' " said Sean-Patrick Lovett, director of Vatican Radio's English and Italian sections.

Finding advertisers that would not offend listeners, and presenting them in a way not to send a mixed message of Papal endorsement is a tricky proposition.

A Vatican Radio spokesman says all advertisers and their messages are to undergo a thorough inquisition before receiving dispensation.

Guest Blogger Kate Newlin: Starbucks' 15th Avenue.... Starbucks' TED?

I'm happy to welcome business strategy consultant and author Kate Newlin as a Guest Blogger on 5 Blogs Before Lunch.

Kate's new book, Passion Brands is hot off the presses. You should take a look.

Here's Kate's take on Starbuck's marketing dilemma:

Starbucks' 15th Avenue.... Starbucks' TED?

It's not that it's "doomed to fail" so much as "what would success look
like?"

This may be the Starbucks' version of TED and Song.

Remember how crazy, desperate United and Delta got when JetBlue started making cheap flights cool? With those nutty flight attendants' ad libs, tv in the seats and interesting snacks. They thought they couldn't compete with that tonality, so they created two new sub-brands; Song even got Kate Spade to design the uniforms...

But the entrepreneurial, "let's just try it and see what happens" model didn't make sense for big brands like United and Delta and they quickly began folding all that equipment and the people back into the base brands.

Remember when GAP tried to launch a new store brand called Fourth & Towne? Trying to mask bigness with a kind of archetypal local address? These attempts clearly did not success in building new business for these big, clunky brands.

Did they learn anything about trying become hip? Doubtful. Maybe they learned that it's harder to do than it looks. Ask any middle-aged divorced guy with a two-seater convertable.

Will Starbucks learn anything by trying to be locally relevant from a HQ vantage point? Maybe.

Maybe it takes that kind of incubation to gain the kind of learnings that can be re-applied within the core. It's clearly a high profile initiative within their culture.  Whoever has been charged with driving it has a huge incentive to succeed as a business or at least position "success" as being a learning lab for base Starbucks.

Marketers Spent $1.5 Billion On Word-Of-Mouth Campaigns

Ever need to debunk a misconception that word-of-mouth marketing is "free" marketing?

Need to prove that the trend is growing, and becoming more mainstream?

PQ Media is out with a report that says that spending on word-of-mouth marketing reached $1.54 billion in 2008, led by a 14.2% surge in spending on buzz, influencer, community and viral marketing. Food and drink brands account for 30 percent of all w-o-m spending.

PQ Media forecasts an additional 10.2% increase in word-of-mouth spending this year. More at MediaWeek

Buick Photo Shoot TV Spot--Close to Reality, But Not Effective At Selling Cars

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a truly a horrible television spot for Buick (I'm imaging this is one of the spots Bob Lutz pointed out as "crap").

That said, I have to giggle at how close to reality this spot is, as someone who is been on a fair share of automobile (and fashion) advertising photo shoots over the years.

Enjoy, and giggle with me...

Tru Blood Drink, From HBO's True Blood Series, Soon To Be Available in the Real World

HBO's series True Blood depicts vampires who "walk among us" and who's preferred drink is bottled synthetic blood, called Tru Blood.

The fictional Tru Blood beverage from the TV series will now be coming to life in bottle form. Tru Blood will cost $16 for a four-pack and will be launched in September.

From the NY Daily News:

"The blood-orange carbonated drink has a slightly tart and lightly sweet flavor that is sure to taste better than the O negative blood consumed by the show's fictional vampires. Crafted to replicate the appearance of the synthetic blood beverage preferred by the undead in the series, the real-life drink will also be called Tru Blood."

Ball introduced the beverage at Comic-Con, and the Daily News reports: "[Ball] joked that the drink was a mixture of 'wine, vodka, Vicodin, Viagra and Ecstasy' and that it was 'completely illegal.'"

Beer Brands, POTUS, And The American Dialogue

The national dialogue right now should be around healthcare reform, the economy, military spending and foreign wars--ANYTHING other than which beers POTUS will serve when he meets with two men who are gathering a lot of the media cycles recently--Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the police officer who arrested him for disorderly conduct in his own home, Sgt. Jim Crowley.

As you may have heard, President Barack Obama asked the two men to come to the White House this week, share a beer and (presumably) bury the ratchet and find some common ground (one of the President's favorite passtimes).

The "Beer Summit" as it has been called, is the president’s attempt to tamp down on tensions over Gates’s arrest and Obama’s subsequent remarks about that arrest at a press conference last week.

But, in an attempt to make far more of a story that already has been made, The Hill the Boston Globe, the Denver Business Journal, Fox News and Politico.com are reporting on which beer brands the participants have requested. While great publicity for these beer brands, do we should we really care?

But, if you do, Obama will have a Budweiser, "the same kind of beer he had at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday." Crowley will have a Coors' Blue Moon (to support "the men in blue?") and Gates will drink a Becks or a Red Stripe.

There have been no reports of product placement fees paid by any of these brands <grin> which could turn this whole summit into "Beer Gate."

5 Meetings Before Lunch--Mad Men Style

The folks at AMC's Mad Men have a new application that lets you personalize an avatar--MadMen Style.

Here's 5 Meetings Before Lunch at work at Sterling Cooper:

After 50 Years, Buick To Remove Name From the "Buick Open"

There is a national trend toward belt tightening.

For the automotive industry, the need is clearly acute.

I'm sure we will see more and more examples of car companies not renewing sponsorships in the days and months to come.

General Motors, in particular, has been cutting spending on all sorts of sponsorships including professional baseball and NASCAR partnerships. It also ended a nine-year endorsement deal with Tiger Woods.

But one decision not-to-renew must have been particularly painful for General Motors.

GMs' Buick division's will no longer be the title sponsor of the Buick Open golf tournament.

Buick has been associated with the golf tournament for over 50 years, with the tournament taking place each year at the heart of America's automotive industry--Detroit. It was the PGA Tour's longest running partnership.

The tournament will go on, in GM's backyard, under a different name (yet to be determined). The PGA tour will be forced into a major re-branding and financial restructuring for the tournament.

But the Buick Open will be no more after this week's tourney.

Sources: GolfWeek Magazine and USA Today/AP

Brand Integration Becoming More Commonplace as Hollywood Looks To Ways To Make Up Lost Revenue

The acceptability of product placement is taking on steam.

The trend seems clear. Brand integrations are getting more screen time as TV producers and networks look to make up revenue lost in the economic downturn; and advertisers look to finding new ways to sell products to the increasingly savvy consumer who is suspicious of overt ad messages.

While product placement, the inclusion of advertiser's products of logos within TV and film sets and scripts has been around for years, historically, producers and networks placed strict rules on product placement for fear of offending the audience.

But now, Hollywood is loosening up the rules as they search to make up lost revenues due to the economic downturn.

The result? The Boston Globe reports on "Eye-popping appearances by advertisers in places where viewers would normally expect to see story line and character development."

From The Boston Globe:

The flailing economy “makes everything at least discussable,’’ said Peter Tortorici, a former CBS executive who is president of WPP Group’s Group M Entertainment, a specialist in creating deals that weave advertisers into content. This new willingness often creates “very positive’’ ideas for integrating products into shows, he said, but “some of it will result in mistakes.’’

Some examples:

1. In a recent episode of "90210 (on the CW), Dr Pepper was integrated into a storyline which had characters scripted as saying that a road trip wouldn’t be the same without the soda.
2. Subway had its sandwiches displayed in two different episodes of NBC's “Chuck’’ and had its tagline, “$5 footlongs’’ incorporated into the script.
3. ABC recently showcased the USS Enterprise from the new “Star Trek’’ movie flying out of the “O’’ during the title sequence on the show “Lost.’’
4. Vitaminwater was proudly displayed in a recent episode of "Gossip Girl" on the CW

Alison Tarrant, CW’s senior vice president of integrated sales and marketing is quoted as saying that the network isn’t out to annoy viewers or shove ad logos in their faces. “Our audience is aware that product placement exists and that advertisers are probably paying for some of the more branded mentions that they see in the body of the show,’’ she said. “I think the audience gets it, but in many cases we look to give the audience value back for their tolerance of it,’’ such as a glitzy on-location shoot or better casting.

BMW Quits Formula One To Concentrate On Environmental Initiatives

BMW has been part of Formula One racing for over 10 years, but has quit due in part because of a conflict with the brand's commitment to environmental sustainability.

The company says it wants to spend its money on environmental campaigns rather than F1 racing.

Demonstrating BMW's strategic plan to be defined as a leader in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility, BMW made the announcement at a hastily prepared press conference which was attended by BMW's top management, including chairman of the BMW board, Dr Norbert Reithofer; Dr Klaus Draeger, a board member responsible for development; and motorsport director Mario Theissen.

Beyond the brand strategy commitment, the decision to depart Formula One may also be blamed on poor track results this season.

Sources: Auto Express News and Brand Republic

Advertisers Studying Biometric Data To Uncover How Consumers Look At Online Ad Banners

Struggling to prove the effectiveness of online advertising, advertisers are trying to find ways to quantify the effectiveness of online ads beyond the click-through measure.

The New York Times reports on researchers at a Walt Disney Company facility in Austin, Texas, who collect biometric data from test subjects as they look at online content to detect whether their eyes move to look at ad banners and how their reaction to ads plays out in terms of temperature, facial expression, heart rate and other factors.

Sprint Nextel To Buy Virgin Mobile USA

In an attempt to consolidate the pre-paid phone marketplace, Sprint Nextel, the owners of pre-paid Boost Mobile brand, have announced that they're buying Virgin Mobile USA, the other major mobile carrier specializing in prepaid cellphone service.

Sprint Nextel, in a press release, state that "these complementary prepaid brands, each with a distinctive offer, style and appeal to different customer demographics, will continue to serve existing and prospective customers following the completion of the transaction."

“Prepaid is growing at an unprecedented rate with consumers keenly focused on value,” Dan Hesse, Sprint Nextel’s president and chief executive, said in a statement announcing the agreement. “Virgin Mobile is an iconic brand in the marketplace that will complement our Boost Mobile brand.”

Source: Sprint Nextel press release and The NYT DealBook

Ben Silverman Leaves One Cushy Job For Another: Out at NBC, In with Diller's IAC

There are two "truths" in Hollywood.

1. You're "out" as soon as the rumor mill starts working against you.
2. Soft-landings are as common as lunch at The Ivy

So it comes as little surprise that last year's wonderkund Ben Silverman, the youthful co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, is departing NBCU to launch a new venture with Barry Diller's firm IAC.

Silverman had been rumored to have been "on the outs" for several months, giving him ample time to find his new gig. Call it a soft-landing out of one corporate suite and into another, or a successful "failing upward" career move.

Jeff Gaspin has been tapped as chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment. Marc Graboff, who was Silverman's counterpart as co-chairman, will take on the role of chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, reporting to Gaspin.

Details of Silverman's new venture with Diller and IAC are vague, but the Los Angeles Times reports that at its core the plan is to get advertisers and producers together for the creation of integrated or "branded" entertainment company.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times

GM's Lutz "crapped all over the advertising" in recent critique

The leaner, less debt-ridden General Motors wants to stay that way.

Reports are that GM's marketing chief, Bob Lutz is taking a brand review of the company's advertising agencies.

He's promising  a "drastic change in the tone and content of our advertising."

Reports are that Lutz is being very critical of a lot of the messaging coming from its four core brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC. An Ad Age article suggests that Lutz is a manager with a lot to say about the tone and style of the current campaigns, putting agencies on the defense, deffending their previous efforts.

The Ad Age article reports the critique amounted to a meeting where Lutz "crapped all over the advertising." quoting a source that is "in the know."

Lutz is the Vice Chairman of GM. He's a life-long "car guy," and former President of Chrysler, VP of Ford and an EVP at BMW.

He recently stepped into the role of overseeing GM's brands through marketing, advertising, and communications with a declared mission of a more consistent message and results.

Sources: Wikipedia, Advertising Age

In a Price-Conscious Marketplace, P&G Tries out a Value-Priced "Nappy" Called Pamper's Simply Dry

Proctor and Gamble is trying out a new line of diaper to address a market which cares more and more about value.

Simply Dry is a lower-priced member of the Pampers family first introduced in Germany, and now expanding to the UK.

More and more shoppers are turning away from premium priced products, so P&G is turning to a value strategy to make sure they don't lose customers to cheaper, store-branded products.

The challenge, as with any high-quality, low-cost alternative to a company's own products is whether or not it will diminish the brand reputation of Pampers (if it comes across as "cheap"), or if it will cannibalize the brand (if it is successful)

From UK's Marketing Magazine:

The defensive but brash launch has taken retailers by surprise. An insider at one well-known UK chain admitted there was a worry that the new Pampers range would cannibalise its own-label sales, but, with a brand as big as Pampers, it had little choice but to stock the range. The source also questioned the quality of the product, saying it was potentially a very dangerous move for Pampers as many consumers will not realise it is intended as a value product and will instead think that the premium brand has dropped in quality.

Mary J. Blige as AT&T's New Quick Change Artist

Mary J. Blige's new AT&T television spot is a tie-up with the release of her latest single.

The overt message: AT&T's quick messaging phones have style and functionality

The implied message: Buy Mary J's new single on your way to the AT&T store <g>

The visual: Blige making swift wardrobe changes as each of the featured phones is shown in a close-up

The music: Blige's newly released single, “The One,”

The ad is called “Shedding Styles”

Matteson's sausages asks "Where Do You Like To Stick It?"

A radio campaign for a british sausage is being called offensive because the ads contain inappropriate sexual innuendo and are unsuitable for children.

The Matteson's 'extraordinarily large' sausage ads open with a man asking women what they like to do with sausages. They feature women talking about where they like to "stick" a big sausage.

You get the picture.

One woman said: "I'm renowned for my big sausage hotpot. People are always calling by for a bit and my husband Roger loves it." "I stick mine in a nice warm casserole but some evenings when I'm alone I like to stick it ... in my pasta salad," added another.

The Advertising Standards Authority received complaints about the series of four ads, The ad watchdog group dismissed the complaints that the radio ads were offensive because the sexual innuendo was not explicit, but said that the sexual innuendo was "sufficiently strong to present a problem if it was heard by older children".

The ASA ruled that the ads must not be broadcast in or around programs likely to be heard by a significant number of children.

Click here to listen to one of the radio spots.

Mattesons parent company, Kerry Foods, said the ads were designed to be "tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted" and was "confident" the ads would not offend.

The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre, which vets ads before they air, said that the radio commercials would be seen as "innocuous" like a "saucy seaside postcard", rather than gratuitous or offensive.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

Escalator Advertising

The folks at Oddee.com have gathered up images of 10 of the most creative escalator advertising campaigns around. Here are three. Check out Oddee.com for more. 

New KGB Info-by-text Ads "Arguably Racist" And/Or "Just Plain Stupid"

Following in the footsteps of the outrageous, campy and always slightly offensive Boost Mobile and Go Daddy advertising campaigns, Info-by-text service KGB has some new television spots that AdFreak says range from the "arguably racist" to the" just plain stupid"

I'll let you be the judge.

Hawaii says "NIMBY" to the Wienermobile

Apparently, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is not welcome in Hawaii.

Following a visit earlier this month, an organization called "Outdoor Circle" is pushing to ban all future visits to the island.

It may be an icon, but Not In My Backyard (NIMBY)!

Apparently there is a 1927 law that bans all billboards on the Hawaiian islands. A second law (from 2006) bans all vehicles with the sole purpose of advertising.

Seems like the Wienermobile looks like one big mobile billboard to Outdoor Circle.

From Forbes/AP:
"We're just trying to protect Hawaii's most important asset, and that's the visual beauty of our islands," Outdoor Circle spokesman Bob Loy said Thursday. "It's the thing that gives the people of Hawaii the best quality of life of any place ... and it's the thing that lures 7 million people here every year."

The Honolulu mayor reportedly welcomed the Wienermobile to his city earlier this month, and it was honored with an official "Oscar Mayer Wiener Day".

It may be the last celebration of its kind on Hawaii.

Additional resources here.

Ex-Heineken Agency Dumps Corona for Becks.

Advertising agencies must balance their client roster to avoid conflicts, build strong category experiences, and keep an eye out for the bottom line.

The history of the agency world is filled with tales of an agency dumping one client for a bigger fish.

Here is one of those tales that came up this week.

Publicis has a history with beer accounts. They've managed Heineken for years, and just recently picked up the Corona Light account without a review.

Now comes word that Publicis and Corona are partying ways after only one month together.

The reported reason?

The agency is in advanced discussions with Anheuser-Busch InBev about a global assignment for its Becks brand.

Yikes.

From Advertising Age:

"Publicis, New York, and Corona Light have jointly decided not to engage in a relationship at this time due to other conversations Publicis is having in this category that would have an impact on any long-term relationship with Corona," said a Publicis USA spokesperson, who declined to confirm that the would-be client in question was Becks. "Although we were excited about our opportunity with Corona Light, we are equally excited about an opportunity that we hope to be able to announce soon."

The Vendor/Client relationship - in real world situations

If you've ever worked as a corporate vendor to a client, you've no doubt dealt with pre-project negotiations, and client re-negotiations once the project is complete.

Ever heard the phrase...

"We didn't budget for this" 

"Let me make a phone call and see what I can do"

So basically, you want me to work for free? ...No, I don't want you to work for free, it is just a test."

"We'll make this up the next time"

"We need you to show us how you did it so we can do it ourselves next time"

5 Blogs Before Lunch's "Ever Loyal Reader" recently forwarded me this video that transports these business negotiating tactics into the real world, to showcase their absurdity.

Funny stuff...

Tappening's Anti-Bottled Water Campaign Encourages You To "Start a Lie"

Tappening's latest marketing campaign is designed to encourage consumers to drink tap water whenever possible and communicate the message that bottled water consumption is unnecessarily wasteful and harmful to the environment.

The campaign highlights the outrageous "lies" about bottled water currently promoted by bottled water companies by creating humorous and false assertions of its own. And encourages viewers to create their own.

"We're not just admitting it up front, we're bragging about it. We want people to know we're blatantly lying in our new campaign, and, most importantly, that everyone should pay close attention to what's factual in marketing and what's -- not so much," explained Tappening partner Eric Yaverbaum.

The campaign includes a website that allow users to share their own water-related lies and view four Tappening ads with headlines like, "Bottled Water Makes Acid Rain Fall on Playgrounds" and "Bottled Water Causes Blindness in Puppies."

Source: Brandweek

Virgin America Tops Travel + Leisure "Best" List

While United Airlines is busy breaking guitars <snark> Virgin America was being honored for the second straight year as the best domestic airline from Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards.

The well-regarded annual survey by Travel + Leisure magazine asks readers to rate airlines in several categories, including: cabin comfort, food, in-flight service, customer service, and value.

It is interesting to note that neither United or any other "big" airline (Delta, American, Continental, Northwest, etc. etc.) made the list.

"United Breaks Guitars" And Creates A PR Crisis

A couple of weeks ago, a disgruntled United Airlines customer created a music video called "United Breaks Guitars"--a song about how United baggage handlers damaged his guitar on a recent flight.

Fellow frustrated flyers flocked to YouTube to view the video, and the Canadian musician, Dave Carroll had a hit on his hands.

And, United had a PR crisis.

Carroll is now releasing a second video about how United stonewalled his complaint. His second video will be about Ms Irlweg, the United Airlines employee who turned down his request for compensation.

United originally rejected Carroll's 2008 compensation claim at Chicago O'Hare airport, but  has now reacted to the media's sympathy for his cause by donating $3,000 to a music charity and saying it would like to use his video for training baggage handlers.

Too little too late?

The video has 3.8 million views and comments on it to 17,700, many relating to similar bad experiences with United. The singer is now doing the media interview circuit.  "United Breaks Guitars" is now the number one country download on iTunes UK.

Brand Republic points out that United may be wishing it had the PR nous of Virgin Atlantic, which faced a similar publicity storm after the internet leapt on a comic complaint by a passenger about his "culinary journey from hell" in January. Founder Sir Richard Branson responded to the complainant by phone to discuss his issues with his airline meal.

Hardee's Biscuit Hole Ads Called "Brainless" and Racy"

Hardee's (Carl's Jr. for us Western States folk) has created a series of humorous ads for the restaurant chain's biscuit holes.

Now, just saying "biscuit hole" is enough to make me giggle, but what about terms like "A-hole", "B-hole," "sweet balls" and "bisticals" in the ads?

Funny, huh?

Well, one operator of nearly 350 Hardee's franchises in the U.S. doesn't seem to be laughing.

It is asking CKE (Hardee's and Carl's Jr.'s parent), to pull the ads from all of its markets.

North Carolina based Boddie-Noell Enterprises (OK that name makes me giggle too), which claims to be Hardee's biggest U.S. franchisee, aired its concerns in response to a complaint from the Parents Television Council that the ads were "brainless" and "racy."

I guess that's just how they roll them biscuit holes in the Carolinas, Virginia and Kentucky (Boddie-Noell's regions).

Hardee's issued a statement that said there are no plans to pull the ads.

Oh, and did we mention that Hardee's tagline is "Charbroiled Thickburgers?"

giggle. giggle. giggle.

Hey Walmart, There's A Frog In My Green Beans: A Lesson In Crisis Management and Customer Service

I am sure that the PR and customer service folks at Walmart have a lot on their plate. Thousands, if not millions of complaints must be sent through the system daily.

And, I guess sometimes things slip through the cracks. Here's one case:

Apparently, a woman in Tyler, Texas found a frog in a bag of frozen green beans.

She was obviously shocked, and turned to Walmart (where she bought the beans) for some answers, and a little comfort.

Walmart's response? ---crickets.

In a page out of the "how not to respond to customer complaints" handbook, both the customer service department and the PR department bungled this one by not addressing the matter quickly, and directly, and to satisfy their customer (before she got angry and went to the press):

From WalletPop:

After getting over the initial surprise, she said she (the woman with the frog in her green beans) got mad -- mad at Wal-Mart, where she bought the retailer's Great Value brand microwave in the bag green beans. She said no one called her even days after she reported the problem and calls to the corporate customer help line left her scratching her head. After the last call, Erbaugh said Wal-Mart said it would make up the whole episode by offering a coupon worth the value of the green beans that could only be redeemed for another Great Value product. Total value: $1.

Now, the health department, and the FDA are involved, and, according to this news report, Walmart still isn't responding.

Poor form, Walmart.

Japan Gets An Angry Whopper

Burger King's kingdom barely stretches into the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan. While McDonalds boasts nearly 4,000 outlets in Japan (a 65% share of market), Burger King has a mere 16.

In fact, Burger King withdrew from the Japanese market in 2001 after losing a price war with McDonald's, but then returned to Japan in 2007.

And now, Burger King is launching a major marketing offensive in the hopes of gaining a stronger foothold on this Island nation of 125 million.

At the helm of this offensive: The Angry Whopper.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

The Angry Whopper has jalapeno chili peppers and hot sauce, as well as a burger patty, onions, cheese, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce on a sesame seed bun.

Burger King Japan President Hitoshi Arimoto said it was the perfect flavor for riding out the economic downturn.

As part of the marketing launch, Burger King hosted an "angry shouting challenge" contest in downtown Tokyo where passers-by were invited to scream their frustrations away.

Launched in the U.S. back in December, the 460 yen ($4.90) burger has a sauce has been slightly adapted to Japanese tastes.

Source: U.K. Telegraph
Photo source: AP

September Issues of Fashion Magazines Are As Skinny As Their Models

Each year, the big fashion magazines publish their big fat September issues, and publicly boast about the telephone-book-size numbers of pages (editorial and advertiser).

This year, the rags are looking at a different set of numbers: Allure's ads are down 52%, Self is off by 51% and Glamour by 42%. Hachette Filipacchi's Elle has lost 21% of its ads versus last September and Hearst's Harper's Bazaar is off by 23% to 26%,

Still, publishers looked for the silver lining (from Advertising Age):

The publishers with declines weren't happy about it but looked for what good news they could. "Six months ago we were optimistic there could be a turnaround," said Bill Wackerman, senior VP-publishing director at Glamour and Conde Nast Bridal Media. "That did not materialize. But business has stabilized. The reality is that it's not as grim as one would have it. Most of the brands that were in September last year are there again. It's just the volume has decreased."

Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Has Died.

It is being reported that Gidget, the Taco Bell chihuahua has passed away at the age of 15.

While a chihuahua named Dinky was the original Taco Bell pup,  he was quickly replaced by Gidget who appeared in television and print ads as well as in-store displays throughout the 1990's.

Source: People, and DListed

Conde Nast To Stop Pushing Web-Brands As "Separate But Equal"

Say goodbye to Men.Style.com and say hello to GQ.com and Details.com.

Conde Nast is ending its "separate but equal" strategy of creating web-only brands to house magazine content.

The publishing house has been managing online brands such as Style.com, Epicurious.com and Concierge.com as separate brands from GQ, Details, Vogue and others, but seems to have come to the realization that in many cases the best brand for the web is the one that's been successful in print.

As a first step, Conde Nast has announced that it will shut down one of its web-only brands, Men.Style.com and give two of its titles, GQ and Details, their own websites in October.

The shift in strategy seems logical for both consumers and advertisers. Why create different brands online when you own such legendary, well-known and well-regarded brands in the print world?

A unified print-web brand will clearly be easier to sell to brand advertisers, and easier for consumers to find on the web.

Smart move, Conde Nast.

Source: Advertising Age

Fake Sprite Ad Hacks Into Consumer's Trust

The creators of a fake Sprite ads say it was intended as an experiment to see how many people would be fooled into thinking it was real.

The ad was presented as a "banned" German television commercials for the soda. The scenes depict sex acts, integrating the carbonated Sprite in an extremely erotic manner.

The brainchild of the spoof? A MTV director who hid behind the concept as part of a "social experiment".

It is the same rationale that computer hackers use for stealing bank data from secure computers, or why viruses are spread across the Internet--"we did it to see if it could be done."

The TV ad starts with a shot from behind of a girl performing oral sex on man. She stops to say she would like a Sprite where upon the ad cuts to a side-on shot of her sucking the bottle before it is explodes over her face.

The spot has high-production values, and appears to be real. I had several friends send me the spot, genuinely believing it was a real--but banned German ad.

I guess the social experiment worked. You can fool consumers and whittle away at their trust in marketing and brands. But at what cost and why?

The ad was quickly pulled from YouTube. Eventually director Max Issacson came forward and took credit for the ad.

Source: Brand Republic

Here's the NSFW, NSFUnder18 ad:

GM Sends Its CEO Out To Re-Build The Brand with "Tell Fritz"

Now that GM has purged itself of debt through bankruptcy and the dead weight of too many car brands, it is time to begin working its way down the long road of re-building its brand reputation.

Frederick "Fritz" Henderson, CEO of General Motors is planning to be the face of GM's turnaround effort, with programs that include a consistent string of media interviews and monthly national road shows where he plans to meet with dealers and interact with customers.

One of the other GM brand initiatives has Henderson reaching out to consumers with an online suggestion box dubbed "Tell Fritz."

But GM is doing more than just posting an online suggestion box. It has launched web sites such as "GM Facts and Fiction," the "Fastlane" blog and "GM Reinvention. " Henderson and other GM executives also have hosted live Web chats in recent weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Tell Fritz, loosely modeled on Twitter messaging, will be housed on GM's so-called Reinvention Web site, allowing the public to lodge comments, compliments and complaints with Mr. Henderson in messages of 255 characters or fewer.

Good luck Fritz. It is going to be a long and winding road.

Mattel Launches Barbie Make-up Line--For Adults

Mattel has found another way to extend the Barbie brand to adults.

"All Dolled Up" is a line of make-up targeting women aged 25- 40 and features 10 items including eye shadow, blusher and lipstick.

The line was launched at the House of Barbie store in Shanghai and will be rolled-out internationally next year.

Source: Marketing Magazine

Kid Rock's American Badass Beer

Kid Rock is launching American Badass Beer.

The beer will be produced by Drinks America and brewed at the Michigan Brewing Company. The beer will come in 12- and 22-ounce bottles and initially sold in Michigan. Plans are to roll-out in Ohio, Texas, Nevada, Tennessee and California.

Kid Rock describes his "American Badass Beer" as an easy to drink lager with no aftertaste.

"I'm American, that's what I like to drink, and from looking around the parking lot before my shows, I know that's what my fans drink," Kid Rock told the Detroit Free Press.

Starbucks Testing The Sale of Beer and Wine--And a New Naming Scheme.

Starbucks has announced that it is testing a new concept in its hometown of Seattle (where it all began).

It is changing the name of one of its locations--to a neighborhood-friendly "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea" and will be serving wine and beer alongside its coffee and tea.

If successful, the company says it will expand this new concept.

"It's interesting," said Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy, "especially since the Starbucks brand has been such an integral part of their success."

The test is clearly examining an innovative sub-brand strategy to counter-act the pushback by some customers disillusioned by a large corporate chain.

Apple Asks Microsoft To Stop Running "Laptop Hunter" Ads

Apple's 'Mac vs PC' ads, which feature a geeky PC guy unable to keep up with the "hip Mac user" have been hugely popular.

That must have got under Microsoft's skin.

Microsoft fought back, with its "Laptop Hunter" campaign where shoppers are asked to find a laptop under $1,000 at a retail shop--they always come out with a Windows-based PC.

Apple's response? Lower some prices, and pick up the phone and dial Microsoft's legal team.

Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, has been reported as saying that Apple's legal team had called him and asked him to cancel the ads because Apple had lowered the prices on some of its machines.

Turner, speaking at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans this week, said: "Two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, 'Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices'.

"They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call that I've ever taken in business.

"I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said: 'Is this a joke? Who are you?'

"We're just going to keep running them and running them and running them."

Kentucky Grilled Chicken Launch Was a Success for KFC

Let's face it, the marketing folks at KFC put a lot on the line to re-position KFC and introduce their new Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

They opted for a massive paid and promotional effort focused on the theme "Unthink what you thought about KFC"--essentially blowing up the iconic Kentucky FRIED Chicken bucket, and replacing it with "Kentucky GRILLED Chicken"

Included in this campaign was a well-publicized stunt that involved promoting coupons for free chicken on Oprah for which it couldn't deliver, plus television, print online and outdoor advertising.

And now, the folks at KFC are saying the risky re-positioning is paying off.

Yum Brands (KFC's parent) CEO David Novak called the launch the most successful in KFC's history and added that the item now accounts for 40 percent of KFC's chicken-on-the-bone sales. "Kentucky Grilled Chicken was a must-have for the brand to turn this business, and there's no question that it gives us a great platform going forward for growth," Novak told analysts in a conference call. "Consumers absolutely love this product."

Source: Brandweek

BET and Grey Goose Partner-up for "Rising Icons"

BET Networks and Grey Goose vodka are teaming on an eight-part TV and concert series titled "Rising Icons."

This is the third development for Grey Goose Entertainment division, which debuted in 2005 with the Iconoclasts series on the Sundance Channel followed by Live From the Artists Den, which  aired on Ovation TV in Jan. 2008.

Rising Icons breaks from past endeavors in its focus on up-and-coming artists, according to Chauncey Hamlett, brand manager, Grey Goose. “We really wanted to partner with people that could bring their story to the forefront, which is very key to the brand. The main thing is to solidify the association between these emerging artists and Grey Goose.”

PETA Goes Wild Posting Against McDonald's Chicken Practices

While Domino's Pizza is using GreenGraffiti to promote their brand around New York, PETA has begun "wild posting" hundreds of copies of its new ad featuring a close-up of the eye of a chicken who's been scalded alive in order to create negative publicity around the McDonald's brand.

The poster features the tagline "i'm hatin' what I see,"  taking a swipe at McDonald's familiar "i'm lovin' it"

Why take aim at McDonald's? The group says the company refuses to implement new slaughterhouse technology that would eliminate the worst abuses of chickens and improve working conditions.

"All eyes are on McDonald's because the company refuses to lift a finger to stop its suppliers from breaking birds' bones, cutting conscious chickens' throats, and scalding them to death," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "McDonald's customers across the country are now saying, 'I'm hatin' it,' every time they see the Golden Arches.

There's a website (McCruelty.com), a video, and more. Warning: the video is not for the faint at heart. I lasted about 15 seconds and felt I "got it."

Green Graffiti On The Rise, Thanks To Domino's

Remember Wild Postings? They were those ads posted in urban areas without permission of the owners of the walls or buildings where they were placed.

Well, 2009 brings a new form of wild postings--called Green Graffiti. The technique uses a high-pressure water hose and a stencil on dirty sidewalks, leaving a bright and shiny corporate logo, tagline or other form of advertising.

The Dutch company who's promoting this new media form is called GreenGraffiti--a company that thinks this is an environmentally friendly form of outdoor advertising, saying it is completely carbon neutral.

Domino's Pizza is using the stencils to engrave the company logo on 200 grimy sidewalks in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.

The first 250 people to hunt down the sidewalk ads and e-mail pictures of themselves with the GreenGraffiti to Domino's receive a $15 gift card. Winners will also have their pictures posted on Flickr.

Source: Adweek

Official Michael Jackson Concert Memorabilia Lives On

Today was to be the premiere of Michael Jackson's “This Is It” concert series at London’s O2 Arena.

Michael's gone. The concerts have been canceled, but the merchandising lives on.

Official concert merchandise is being sold online and will be available in stores.

The Los Angles Times reports that there are more than 300 items including jigsaw puzzles and games for children and rhinestone dog tags. The collection will go on sale at retailers such as Hot Topic, Target, JCPenney and Spencer's.

Additional sourcing: Shop Diary

Northwest Airlines Flight Attendants Want Richard Tyler Designed Uniforms in Plus Sizes

Northwest Airlines has branded their signature red dress uniform designed by Richard Tyler.

Unfortunately, not all of the NWA flight attendants can fit into the outfit.

Since being purchased by Delta Airlines, the NWA red uniform can only be worn by those women who can fit in a size 18 or smaller. Other outfits are available to those of a larger size (up to size 28).

But NWA flight attendants want the red dress from Richard Tyler.

The Northwest chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has filed a grievance with the airline.

Patricia Reller, who handles grievances for the union's executive committee, said Friday that even if there was only one flight attendant who wore a size over 18, that person should be able to wear the stylish red dress.

"I think red is an eye-popping color and it's not subtle, and to me by not offering it in a size over 18, Delta is saying, 'We don't want you wearing that if you are over size 18,'" Reller said. "But the job isn't about being sexy. It's about safety."

Dear Burger King: A Hindu Deity and the Texican Whopper Just Don't Mix. But You Already Knew That, Didn't You.

Burger King continues on its quest to create controversy through its advertising.

The fast food chain has run an ad in Spain, then quickly retracted it once it raised the ire of Hindus across the world,

The ad features an image of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth, placed above the image of a BK burger--'the Texican Whopper' which of course contains beef--a food item forbidden under Hindu religion.

The "offending" Whopper includes an all-beef patty, a beef chilli-con-carne slice, egg-based Cajun mayonnaise, all forbidden by strict Hindus. Some Hindus might also be offended by the inclusion of onions which some believe inflame passions.

Burger King clearly knew it would generate controversy by running the ad. The goddess and the burger were placed under a headline that read  'La merienda es sagrada' – the snack is sacred.

Burger King quickly withdrew the ads and issued an apology after world Hindu leaders condemned the chain for its insensitivity.

For some time now, Burger King has been on a campaign to ratchet-up brand awareness by having controversy associated with nearly everything it does in the marketplace. The company, and its advertising agency, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky have been publicly open about their strategy to step over the line, creating a viral awareness of Burger King which far outreaches any media buy they could create using traditional methods.

For Burger King (at least so far) Ads + Irreverance = Exponential promotional exposure.

Source: UK Telegraph

Evian Uses 96 Roller-Skating Babies in New Ad Campaign

Clearly, consumers can not get enough of the "Look Who's Talking" talking-baby phenomenon which started decades ago. Recently, E*Trade has been running some great ads with talking babies, and now Evian has joined the wave with an ad featuring 96 computer-animated infants roller-skating to a remix of the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight.

The ad is part of Evian's 'Live Young' international TV and web video campaign. No word yet on a media schedule in the U.S., but with millions of views on YouTube already, who needs paid media (did I just say that?) More info at UK Daily Mail

Controversial Marijuana Ad Running...And Not Running, in California

A voter-approved measure made medical marijuana legal in California in 1996. Now, the Marijuana Policy Project is pitching the decriminalization and taxation of marijuana as a way to enhance California state budgets during the fiscal crisis, but NBC, ABC, and FOX affiliates in Los Angeles and San Francisco have declined to air an ad promoting the plan because of concerns about its content.

But the ad is currently airing on KPIX (CBS 5 Oakland), KOVR (CBS Sacramento), KXTV (ABC Sacramento), KRON (San Francisco), and - via California cable operators - on MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the ad features what is called "an actual California marijuana consumer," Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks in suburban Sacramento County. Herndon is shown alone on camera talking about proposed budget cuts to schools, police and state parks, then suggests that Sacramento politicians "are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes. We're marijuana consumers."

The Huffington Post reports that Alison Holcomb, drug policy director of the Washington ACLU said that while the refusals obviously don't "implicate the First Amendment from a legal standpoint," she believes the practice "undermines a core principle underlying the First Amendment: that the strength of a democracy flows from the exchange of ideas."

Additional reporting at UK Telegraph.

See ad here:

Crisis Management Ad for Tylenol After FDA Warning

Recently, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended limits on the use of acetaminophen, a commonly used painkiller and the generic ingredient in Tylenol, among others.

In classic crisis-management mode, Tylenol's maker--Johnson & Johnson ran full-page ads in USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers within days of the FDA warning. The ads defended Tylenol as "the safest brand of pain reliever you can choose" when taken in the proper dosage.

The Wall Street Journal notes that J&J's ads were carefully worded to convey the idea that neither Tylenol itself, nor its marketing, were to blame for any overdosing problems.

McDonald's Ad Asks, "Are We There Yet?"

McDonald's advertising in Sweden has an interesting twist on the brand.

DDB Stockholm has created a spot with a decidedly Harry Potter-feel that promotes the idea of stopping at McDonald's on road trips.

The ad plays on the common childhood whine..."Are we there yet." Personally, I prefer this ad to ANYTHING I have seen from McDonald's in a very long time. It elevates the brand, is entertaining, and delivers a clear, strong message--stop at McDonald's during car trips with the family.  

Hat tip to Adweek's AdFreak.com

Is There Life After Death for the Brands that Picthman Billy Mays Promoted?

Direct-marketing pitchman Billy Mays died recently. He was the face of numerous brands such as OxiClean, Kaboom, and Orange-Glo.

So what is a brand to do once it's star is gone, and all of its marketing relies on the relationship built between star and consumer?

Different brands seem to have different viewpoints on how to treat a dead spokesman. Some companies are pulling his ads, and airing tributes to Mr. Mays. Others seem to be saying "on with the show--let's make some money."

Mays had an undeniable electricity that connected with consumers. He may have had an annoying, screeching voice, but somehow consumers were drawn to him--and the products he pitched.

So, if you are A.J. Khubanim, CEO of direct-to-consumer merchandiser Telebrands, you roll out a national marketing campaign featuring the infomercial star -- eight days after his death.

From DailyFinance:
Mays's final pitch is for Telebrands's Jupiter Jack -- "the new revolutionary cell phone accessory for your car that turns any car radio into a wireless speaker system" (yours for only $19.99 plus shipping and handling!). The spot was filmed a month ago, and Telebrands spent millions on the airtime. Last week, Khubani decided to show it.

"We struggled with this decision," he told DailyFinance. "There's no precedent, and we really don't know what's going to happen. There could be a tremendous backlash."

Khubani says his company consulted with May's family: "We decided collectively that this is what Billy would've wanted, and it's okay with the family...Billy was the sole breadwinner for his family. They're looking for a continuing revenue stream from this and other products."

Billy Mays also served as the pitchman for many products, including Mighty Putty, Mighty Mendit, Ding King, Vidalia Slice Wizard and most recently, the Mighty Putty Super Pack--all marketed by a company called Media Enterprises. That company also decided to continue to air the last infomercials Billy Mays recorded before his death. Additionally, the company confirmed that Billy Mays television advertisements for Mighty Putty and Mighty Mendit will now resume after a one-week respite in advertising in recognition of the pitchman's death.

That's one way to go, or you could do what the makers of OxiClean, Kaboom, and Orange-Glo (all marketed by Church & Dwight) have done. They pulled its Mays spots.

Or follow the lead of the  Discovery Channel, whose television series "Pitchmen" starred Mays, is running re-runs of the show, plus a special, "Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays." and  devoting the bulk of a day to programming a Mays memorial that will include a 12-hour Pitchmen marathon, ending with the season finale, which hasn't aired before.